Holding things loosely…

Yesterday I got robbed… apparently.  It was the weirdest thing.

Bethany and I went out in the morning to drive around and look at houses, so I brought my camera…  its pretty awesome and was a gift from the Peace youth group before I moved.  (just a p.s. here… it also had a really fun etsy strap!)  But that’s not the point of this story…

So after some driving around we stop at a store and Bethany points out that I should take my camera in so no one breaks into the car to steal it.  That is a very good and responsible idea… so it goes in my purse.  I have a short strapped under the arm purse.

When we leave the store my car won’t start… even though it has a brand new battery… ugh.  So we wait to get a jump.  Then we continue running errands but leave the car running and one of us in it with both of our purses the whole time.  While the car is running the battery dies… again.  ugh.  So we get another jump and head home.

At home I start looking around for my camera, which should still be in my purse… but its not.  Its gone from all the places it could reasonably be.

There are only 3 options… either someone stole it out of my purse while it was under my arm (which is an awfully big item to pickpocket), they came into the car where one of us was sitting and stole it (not likely), or it just disappeared into thin air (actually the most likely seeming of the three…).

We have retraced our steps and thought through the morning a thousand times… and at the end we can only say that we are totally befuddled.  But sadly… being befuddled and feeling like it shouldn’t have happened hasn’t brought my camera back… :(

The day wasn’t awesome anyway b/c we haven’t had enough money come in for the projects and had to fire about half of our Honduran workers.  That’s just never fun.  And the team coming from AZ missed flights and ended up stranded in Tegucigalpa.  12 of them made it late last night with no luggage and 5 will come in this morning, most likely with no luggage.

That’s when the day should have ended… but…

I was driving my car back from the dorms around 9:15 last night (after getting another new battery and with the knowledge that I need a new alternator that may not be available for purchase in this town).  It had been raining and there was a puddle in front of me.  I watched a car drive out of it so assumed it wasn’t too deep… but I had no idea.  15 seconds later the car died in water up to my mid-thigh.  Ugh.  So there we sat.  John came and rescued us, b/c he’s awesome.  If I had had a camera, which we all know I didn’t… I would have taken a picture of John and I pushing the car, me in my dress, in water 3 1/2 feet deep.  Or a picture of John pushing my car with his truck all the way back to house providing a night’s worth of entertainment for the security guys.  Or I would have illustrated this catastrophe for you by taking a picture of my air filter literally dripping water.  But you’ll just have to imagine.

The car wouldn’t start… shocker.  So we’re praying a miracle over it that it will dry out and start today.  But until I get a new alternator and its all working… I’m benching it.  I’m just done.

Yesterday I would have moved back to NC.

Coming right on the heels of the Pettengill’s house getting robbed, I can’t help but think the Lord wants us to hold loosely to our stuff no matter where we live.  It’s a tough lesson.  I would tell you that stuff doesn’t mean that much to me, its just stuff.  But I guess it’s a lie b/c I’m pretty sad.  And I feel responsible for driving through a water trap and for not zipping my purse up.

So as we sat stranded in a puddle/river/lake waiting for John, Bethany and I just prayed that we would learn the lessons God wants us to learn.  That we would hold our things loosely and our God tightly.  That we would have eternal perspective and trust that the Lord is good.  You can pray that for us…

Be Ye Glad

I am adding songs to our team songbook and last night I read through these lyrics.  I just love them and it makes my heart joyful to remember the great love that God has for me!

Be Ye Glad
And in these days of confused situations
And in these nights of a restless remorse
When the heart and the soul of a nation
Lay wounded and cold as a corpse
From the grave of the innocent Adam
Comes a song bringing joy to the sad
All you cries have been heard and the ransom
Has been paid up in full, be ye glad

Oh be ye glad, oh, be ye glad
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord
Be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad

From the dungeon a rumor is stirring
We have heard it again and again
But this time the cell keys are turning
And outside there are faces of friends
And though your body lay weary from wasting
And your eyes show the sorrow they've had
The love that your heart is now tasting
Has opened the gates, be ye glad

Oh be ye glad, oh, be ye glad
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord
Be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad

So be like lights on the rim of the water
Giving hope in a storm sea of night
Be a refuge amidst the slaughter
For these fugitives in their flight
For you are timeless and part of a puzzle
And you are winsome and young as a lad
And there is no disease or no struggle
That can pull you from God, be ye glad

Oh be ye glad, oh, be ye glad
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord
Be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad

sigh

My car has been in the shop on and off for about a week.  Yesterday I called to check in…

me: Hi Raul, is my car ready?
Raul: Not yet.
me: Did you fix anything?
Raul: I got a new battery
me: Did you fix the AC?
Raul: No, the guy didn’t come.
me: Why not?
Raul: I don’t know.
me: If I leave the car ‘till tomorrow will he come?
Raul: I don’t know.

sigh.

Today I call…

me: Hi Raul, is my car ready? (ever so hopeful)
Raul: Not yet.
me: Did the AC guy come?
Raul: yes
me: Did he fix it?
Raul: no, he looked at it but didn’t fix it.
me: Did he say what’s wrong?
Raul: no I didn’t talk to him.
me: Is he coming back?
Raul: I don’t know.

sigh.

I miss car repair shops in NC run by family friends who speak English and work on a dependable time schedule.  And I miss living near my dad who knows about these things.  And I miss my brother who was helping me handle the car issues.  Alas…

Another goodbye

Goodbyes are the worst, officially. 

Last night I said goodbye to my brother Jeremy who has spent the last 8 weeks here in Honduras with me.  I have enjoyed having him here so much and for so many reasons!  We’ve had adventures together, we’ve processed through a new culture, we’ve laughed and worked and just hung out.  Its been a joy!  I’m really sad that he is gone… :(

I’m so thankful for my family.  I’m thankful to have a mom and a dad who love the Lord and taught us the Gospel from an early age.  And I’m thankful to have 3 adult siblings who are walking with the Lord and support and encourage me.  And I’m thankful that we’re friends.  For as much fighting as we did as kids, we grew up to be close friends and that is a great thing.

Jeremy isn’t necessarily a kid person, but I think the Lord is trying to change that in him:)  He did an awful lot of hanging out with kids this month and they loved him.  And he played a lot of guitar and taught some lessons.  He translated in clinic and his Spanish improved a ton.  And he mixed concrete with the best of them.  Basically he is just awesome and did whatever needed to be done.

Jeremy… we’re going to miss you around here.  Come back soon!

That HIS name would be lifted up…

When I worked with Todd at the church, there was something that he would always preach and also pray… “that the name of Jesus would be made much of, that He would receive all the glory.” 

This past week that has been resounding in my head… that no matter what we do or say or how we do ministry or how we host teams, no matter what situations happen to us or because of us, that somehow through it all the name of Jesus would be made much of, that He would receive all the glory. 

On Sunday Mike preached from Romans 8 about how creation is groaning and we talked about the ways that we groan her in our humanity, in our flesh, living here on earth.  And this week we are seeing that… fear, frustration, impatience, fatigue, heat, anger… and honestly, a lot them justified.  We have cars that don’t work, we feel the hot sun, we don’t have time to sleep enough, and we didn’t invite the man who broke into the Pettengill’s house and stole things and turned their life upsidedown.  Its not that these feelings aren’t valid… because I really think they are.  But it shows me how much we need Jesus to receive all of the glory.

He knows the big picture, I am very short-sighted.  So what is He doing?  How will He receive glory in the midst of our many frustrations?  I have no idea.  But I do know something.  God is up to something.  He is building His church.  And Satan doesn’t like it, not one bit.  He’s letting us know it. 

Please pray for us.  Pray for my heart to want to see the name of Jesus lifted high.  Pray for our actions and maybe even more importantly, our reactions, that the name of Jesus would be lifted high.  And pray that at the end of the day our humanity would be so apparent that we cannot do anything but lift the name of Jesus high because it is only through Him that anything around here gets done :)    

Recharged

I think I am feeling recharged.  I wish my car battery were feeling the same say… its back in the shop.  Well, the whole car is in the shop, not just the battery.

But, aside from being a little frustrated with life’s details.  I am feeling recharged about life today.  This past week we had a small 6-person team here and they were wonderful.  They worked hard and made life easy for us. :)  So… thanks for that!  It made for some down time and some time for just getting things done.  I’ve needed that!  I needed to pay bills and do administrative stuff, write emails, make phone calls.  All things that don’t get done when you’re never home.

So… today we welcome 20 people from Colorado to our home here in Honduras.  And I’m excited that they’re coming.  It’s a small world and one of my best friend’s good friends (got that :) ) is coming with this group.  It will be so much fun to meet her!

And… to add to the life recharging… we made monkey bread for breakfast.  It was more like monkey coffee cake b/c I used a biscuit recipe that didn’t turn out like pillsbury rolls… but it was still delicious.  And I got to talk to the Messicks this morning on skype.  Man, I miss them.  But I love hearing all those little voices calling my name.  What a blessing they are to me!

Okay, enough life nonsense for you.  I’ll be back with pictures soon and news of what God is doing here in La Ceiba!

Guitar

Today I taught guitar lessons for the first time. I say that very loosely b/c it was more like playing pass the guitar as every kid wanted to have a turn.  But it was so fun!  I translated “I am a C, I am a C-H” into Spanish b/c its only 2 chords.  We just sang it over and over again for every kids to have a turn playing.  And then the little kids just strummed while Becca played the chords.

Needless to say… I loved it.

Also, I got to lead some songs and activities in kids club.  We did trust falls with the kids.  Honestly, this is a big deal.  These kids have huge trust issues, mainly the older kids.  And some of them wouldn’t even participate.  But it was fun to watch their faces when they trusted you and got to see you come through for them.  What a picture of the faithfulness of God that we want them to know and believe!